Customer Reviews

Pintxos: Small Plates in the Basque Tradition

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Gerald Hirigoyen is from San Sebastien, that beautiful Atlantic coast town on the little crook neck between France and Spain. It is neither. It is Basque, from the striped colored cloth to the bright red pepper. Stay there and take pleasant day drives over to Bilbao (see the Guggenheim) and to Biarritz (19th century playground of Europe). Authentic Basque cookbooks are the devil to come by. This one rhymes well and is honest to the ham bone. If you want a book to drive a long or even a short party, come hither. Beginners welcome. Experts will find their nuggets.

This is a fine collection of Basque inspired tapas (for pintxos just say PEEN-chos) recipes, nicely organized and with wine parings. From griddle, beans, fried bites, little sandwiches, bites on bread, stews and braises, soups, salads to the skewers from which the book gets it's name (pinchers) these are treats. The back of the book offers recipes for panty items to have at your ready like piperade and basic sauces. You get a simple explanation of vinegars with a reduction tip to make moscatel vinegar as a usable substitute for aged (sweet sixteen plus) balsamic. Most balsamic we see is too young for anything but salad.

The Basque dinner hours are late and long. You cannot be fooling with complex timing and rigidity. This is food to ignite your party and fuel it through the wee hours. From "Figs Marinated in Sherry with Aged Goat Cheese and Basil", "Baby Beets, Cucumbers, Olives and Feta Skewers," "Caramelized Onions with Idiazabal Cheese", "Seared beef with Piquillo Pepper and Shallot Jam", to "Chicken Skewers with Yogurt-Mint Dipping Sauce" and "Duck Breast with Oranges and Green Olives".

The "Tomato and Watermelon Salad" sounds dissonant, but just taste the cucumber, avocado, herbs, vinegar and olive oil. These recipes are well written and easy to follow. Such recipes are a good introduction to cooking for the less experienced who need not feel intimidated to try; and for the 20-30 year old crowd who want something easy and tasty when you invite friends over without having to spend the day in the kitchen or spend a lot on money on dinner.

For those above thirty, this is the serious working part of the book. When we want to carry a stew that is new to all, look here. A pot, a ladle and a stack of bowls carry the day. No need to serve hot from the hob. Same with soups.

I have been pleased, usually, by the publications from Ten Speed Press in Berkeley. The pages are crisply and functionally laid out for us. The photography is not overbearing. The book is durably bound and made from heavy stock and seemingly, acid-free paper.

I suppose the two authors of this book cover themselves to some degree by using the words 'in the Basque tradition' in the subtitle, but I was rather expecting a look at variations on dishes that are either actually currently served in Spain, or that else have been traditionally prepared in older Basque cookery. Some recipes *do* specify that a given recipe is fairly typical of restaurants in certain Spanish communities (and some are otherwise immediately recognizable as typical Tapas dishes) but the bulk seem to be creations of Gerald Hirigoyen that were just merely 'inspired' by his experiences of Basque cuisine. As is noted in the introductory text, many cuisines have equivalents to Pintxos and, in the final analysis, I have to really wonder why this book can really be any more about the Basque variation of the appetizer than, say, Meze, Zakuski or plain old Hors-d'oeuvres. I like many of the recipes I read, and will certainly try some, but I really wanted a book that educated me about Pintxos actually offered in Basque-country. I do not believe I got that here. I rather think that this book is an unfortunate collaboration between a good chef who cannot write and a good writer who does not understand food (or foodies) very well.

Oh, finally.... if one is going to include pictures in a book (and the ones in this volume are technically and artistically excellent), then why (OH WHY???) not make them pictures of the actual dishes instead of the graphically pleasing, but largely irrelevant images that accompany the various recipes? I might have given 4 stars if the authors/publishers had followed this simple idea.

Excellent cookbook, delicious recipes, easy to follow. Some of the ingredients are a bit exotic and difficult to find, but worth the search or purchasing from specialty purveyors on-line.

While every review so far has the word "Basque" in it, the book isn't just Basque. Hirigoyen has french training and runs two restaurants in California, so there are some dishes here that you wouldn't find looking at restaurants in Northern Spain. One dish is essentially duck l'orange with olives thrown in, and there's a calamari dish with black-eyed peas; both recipes speak to how much his dishes are informed by his biography. I like these dishes however, and the more traditional tapas you can find there as well. I only draw the line at "Scallops with Lychee Gazpacho" which was sickly sweet and evoked no landscape or culture in particular. The bottom line though is that I'm a self-taught amateur cook, but I felt like I could tackle most of these small dishes. The only challenge is really hunting down ingredients. Trader Joe's carries some common ingredients like piquillo and guindilla peppers, but you really need a Spanish specialty store nearby to get full coverage for the recipes which call for piment d'espelllette, choricero peppers and ventresca tuna. I review the book with more detail and humor at: [...]

I am always looking for new foods, new ways to present old foods and new techniques to prepare them. This book is a treasure! The food of the Basque region of Spain has them all, and this book presents them in a tapas-like format. Pintos is the Basque version of tapas. Great party foods!

Beautifully photographed food, intelligently written text make this a joy to read. Especially enjoyed the history of Pintxos and the Basque region.

Although the ingredients of some items are a bit difficult to find in stores, the cookbook lists some sources and Amazon has most of them. All the recipes I've tried have worked well and been enjoyed by our friends. Quite a few of them are very simple to do although sauces may need to be prepared in advance (which actually makes the process simpler before guests arrive).

This cook book allows us to share the cuisine from the bars of Catalonia with our friends and family and this food has become our most requested item to being to parties. Many of these are simple enough to quickly assemble and present after arriving. I wish there were more stars available to check off, this book is a 10 out of 10.

Not for the novice cook. The recipes are comprised multiple ingredients and may require some searching for some of the Basque/Spanish items which won't be in everyone's pantry. That said, these are some fabulous small bites and plates which will leave you with looking to make the next item and sharing with friends. There is a treasure chest of recipes/references at the end - pantry items you can establish for yourself like Lemon Confit, Piperade and my own personal addiction - ham dust. Oh yeah!

This was actually a gift for a friend. I will admit to opening it up and perusing all the recipes. Basque food is delicious and I will end up buying this book for myself eventually. The pictures of the food are great. The recipes were easy to follow. I have been looking for a Basque cookbook for a while and this one is great for appetizer style food.